Mr Choi replied that the issue was originally meant to be dealt with in this manner, but accused Beijing of turning it into a political problem by erasing the history of Koguryo from its Foreign Ministry website.

He urged Beijing to resolve the diplomatic row with sincerity.

The kingdom of Koguryo stretched from the upper part of the Korean peninsula into what is today the mainland provinces of Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning between 37BC and AD668. Both North and South Koreans believe Koguryo forms part of the basis of modern-day Korea and have been incensed by recent claims by Chinese scholars that the kingdom was one of China's local governments.

The dispute worsened after reports that Beijing responded to South Korean protests by erasing all Korean history up to 1948 from the Foreign Ministry website.

South Koreans are concerned that Beijing's claims are part of a larger push to consolidate and enhance its influence over the northeast Asian region, including attempts to politically engulf Korea.

'By including Koguryo in China's history, China wants to affirm the patriotism and Sino-centric minds of the ethnic minorities in the northeast region,' according to a recent column in a South Korean newspaper.

Mr Wu's visit is being seen as an attempt to ease tensions over the issue, which is threatening to mar bilateral relations as Beijing and Seoul mark the 12th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Mr Wu was only appointed as deputy foreign minister last week, but he is considered to be knowledgeable about affairs on the Korean peninsula after serving as China's ambassador to Seoul between 1998 and 2001.

After his talks with Mr Choi, Mr Wu met South Korea Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon.

Mr Wu's visit is also being seen as a curtain-raiser for the arrival later this week of Jia Qinglin, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.